New Dresses
by unpredictablemary
Summary: Just something I wrote while rewatching series 3- set in the middle of 3x04. The matter of the inheritance has finally been settled, Mary has ordered some new dresses, and fun and flirting ensues...


_A/N: So I wrote this after 3x04, forgot about it, and came back to it this weekend. It is mostly just fun fluffy flirting- after all the ridiculousness in the beginning of the season I was in major need of some happy M/M moments- and it's my first M fic (on my way to crawl under rock now) but it isn't VERY M (yet), just wanted to be on the safe side. Umm that's all. I might be too busy hiding under the rock to write more so any thoughts/opinions/encouragement will be much appreciated! Enjoy!_

"You were awfully keen on hiring that new footman," Matthew remarked after a moment.

Mary folded up her letter and gave him a benign smile. "The girls downstairs need some sort of excitement, do they not?" She knew he was not satisfied with her answer, and she smiled at his mild jealousy. She walked over to Matthew's chair and leaned behind him. "I found my happiness," she said in his ear. "Is it wrong that to let others have a chance at it?"

Matthew turned to look at her, a smile spreading across his face. She loved his smile. "Are you really that happy, my dear?"

Mary only smiled. "I know I've been a bit of a... grouch lately, Matthew. I am sorry. I just couldn't bear... this house..."

"I know," Matthew said, standing and taking her hands in his. "I know, my darling."

"I couldn't bear your guilt," she whispered. Her eyes flicked up to him, almost fearfully. This was territory that they had not tread, for all their arguing. Matthew's eyes snapped to hers.

"I thought you found it ridiculous," he said carefully.

Mary pressed her lips together. "I didn't believe you should be punishing yourself," she replied. "But I hated to see you like that. I hated to know that we caused it."

"I caused it," Matthew corrected her, a little fiercely.

"No, we did," Mary said. Her eyes flashed. "You don't always have to shoulder the entire burden, Matthew."

"Oh, my darling," Matthew said, letting his shoulders slump and a slow smile spread across his face. He ran his hands up her pale neck to cup her cheeks. He stroked his thumbs across her face. "I do love you."

"I love you, too," Mary said. They locked eyes; her words were a rare reward for Matthew. No matter how true he knew they were, he always liked to hear it. "You were right, you know," she continued softly, her eyes cast down. "The night before our wedding. I never would be happy with anyone else as long as you walked the earth."

She leaned up and kissed him, gently, and Matthew knew that although they had made love the night he had given the money to Downton, this was the true end of the argument. He returned the kiss tenderly, and they stood locked together in a gentle, sweet embrace until they heard the click of the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry, milady," Anna said.

"That's quite all right, Anna," Mary smiled. "What is it?"

"The new dresses arrived, milady. We can try them on whenever you're ready."

"Oh, wonderful," Mary said. She glanced at Matthew with a special smile. "Why don't we try them now?"

"All right, milady. I'll bring them up to your dressing room." Anna bobbed her head and left, closing the door behind her. Mary turned back to Matthew's arms.

"New dresses?" he murmured.

Mary smiled. "I thought you deserved some sort of reward after the last few weeks," she said. "There may be a few that are for your eyes only." She raised an eyebrow and Matthew grinned.

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" He kissed her again, and his hands drifted down her backside. Mary swatted his arm playfully and pressed a final kiss to his lips.

"Anna is waiting. And you must get back to your papers," Mary said. "I'll see you before dinner." Mary squeezed her husband's hand, and he reluctantly let her go. Matthew sat back down at the desk with renewed warmth in his heart, feeling more satisfied than he had in weeks.

"Mr. Crawley will love this one, if I daresay, your Ladyship," Anna said with a smile as she buttoned a filmy gown.

Mary laughed. "I daresay he will," she replied.

"How do you and Mr. Crawley get on since being back from honeymoon, milady? If you don't mind my asking."

"Of course not, Anna," Mary said. "We get on very well. It was rocky for a few weeks there, when we thought we would lose Downton, but we do get on quite nicely." She turned to face her maid. There was a conspiratorial glint in her eyes, and Anna smiled at seeing her mistress so happy, so transformed.

Mary watched Anna's reflection in the mirror as the maid began removing the dress to replace it with another one. She didn't miss the glint of longing that flashed across Anna's eyes, the tiny bit of wistfulness that colored her smile. "We will get Bates free, you know, Anna."

"I know, milady. And thank you for saying so."

A smile passed between the two women. Mary turned an appraising eye to the mirror as Anna fastened the new dress.

"I do love this one," she said, smoothing the fabric down. "I think I'll wear it tonight. Mr. Crawley does adore the color blue."

"If it's not too bold to say, milady... I think Mr. Crawley is very good for you," Anna said as she began to dress Mary's hair.

"I suppose I must agree, Anna," Mary said. She laughed softly. "I suppose I must agree."

When Matthew came in fifteen minutes later to collect Mary for dinner, his jaw fairly dropped. Anna stood back so he could see his wife better, a proud look on her face.

"Do you like it?" Mary asked, putting a hand to her hair. She stood and held her arms out for him to see better, one eyebrow raised. "It's the newest style."

"I love it," Matthew said. He very much wanted to take her in his arms, and suddenly he slightly begrudged Anna the task of finishing dressing his wife. But Matthew did not mind too much as he sat down on the edge of the bed to wait; being allowed to watch her dress was one of the delightful new liberties of married life.

"Good," Mary said, and sat back down. "You'll love the others even more," she commented innocently as Anna resumed work on her hair.

Matthew cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks redden. "I expect I will, my darling." Anna and Mary shared a mischievous glance in the mirror, both trying not to laugh.

"Lovely, Anna, thank you," Mary said when the final comb had been put in place and her neck and ears were adorned with jewels.

"Yes, milady." Anna smiled at the couple and backed out of the room.

Mary stood again and walked over to where Matthew sat at the edge of the bed. She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned into him, standing between his legs.

"Do you really like it, darling?"

Matthew slid his hands over her hips and up her waist. "I believe 'like' is a bit too mild a word for the way I feel about that dress," he replied, his gaze roaming over her body. "I want to keep you in it forever, and at the same time I would dearly like to rip it off right now," he said, his eyes glinting as he looked up at her. Mary felt a frisson of electricity run up and down her body. "And I rather don't want anyone else in the world to see you in it."

"My, my," Mary said, feigning mildness. She sank to one of his knees and laced her arms around her husband's neck. "Then what on earth will you say about the nightgowns?" She smiled and indulged her husband with a kiss. "They're practically see-through," Mary whispered in his ear, and then she smoothly stood and crossed the room. "Now, come on, darling, we must go down to dinner."

Mary looked over her shoulder at Matthew with a mocking half-smile as he struggled to regain his composure. "What's the matter, darling?" Mary asked innocently from the doorway. "Come along."

"You terrible little minx," Matthew whispered in her ear as he followed her out of the room. He took her arm as they started down the hall. "I will get you back for that, you know."

Mary only smiled. "I feel that this is going to be a very long dinner," she replied.

"Do you know, I have quite the same feeling," Matthew murmured. "Maybe we ought to skip it altogether."

"Matthew! We can't skip dinner. Granny's coming."

"We could be ill."

"Anna would know we were lying."

"She wouldn't say anything." Matthew rubbed the curve of his wife's waist and let his lips brush over her hairline, her ear, her neck. "Come on, dear. What of it?"

"No, we can't," Mary said, but her tone was gentle. "We will just retire early."

"This is one reason we should live in a house of our own," Matthew remarked. "For situations just like this."

"Very true," Mary said thoughtfully. "But it would be less exciting, don't you think? Everything would be so easy. And I wouldn't be able to do this." And she pulled Matthew into the dark, empty sitting room and pushed him against the wall.

Her lips found his in a breathless crush, and they kissed passionately, the mood between them quite changed from the tender exchange they had had that afternoon. Matthew groaned softly into Mary's mouth, surprised and delighted. Mary ran both hands into Matthew's hair, pulling him toward her, and he was gratified to find that Mary's sleeve slipped easily off her shoulder, exposing her bare skin.

"I really do love this dress," he murmured against her chest. Mary responded with a noise between a laugh and a sigh, clutching the back of his head more tightly. Matthew was undone.

"Mary, please," he said in a ragged voice in between kisses. "Can we be late for dinner?"

"I suppose," she finally answered, struggling to catch her breath. Matthew's lips quirked; he loved to see his wife attempt– and fail– to maintain her dignity at times like this. He slid his hands up to her shoulders and slowly walked her backward, kissing her all the while, until they fell onto the couch. They could hardly see in the dark, but it didn't matter. Matthew swept Mary's dress up, and her hands found his waistband with familiar ease.

"Quickly," Mary whispered. "I don't want them to come looking for us."

"They won't look in here."

"I hope not." Mary pressed her hands into Matthew's back and moaned as he thrust into her. "Oh, Matthew!"

Their bodies moved together for long, blissful minutes; tongues clashed, hands sought skin, hips moved fiercely and fast. Mary found her release first and as she watched Matthew shudder and groan on top of her, her eyes filled with sudden, inexplicable tears and an uncommon tenderness ached in her throat. She reached down to stroke his hair softly, all thoughts of haste gone from her mind, content to keep him lying on her chest forever.

When he had regained his breath, Matthew lifted his head and shifted to rest his chin on her stomach, a small smile on his face. How she had come to love that smile.

Matthew's blue eyes clouded with worry when he saw her face. "My darling? What is it? Did I hurt you?"

"No," Mary smiled. She combed her fingers through his hair. "It's just that I'm... I'm so very _happy_, Matthew!" She gave him a tremulous smile, her special look of unreserved joy. Matthew knew it well and felt he saw it far too infrequently.

"Oh, Mary." He sat up to press his lips firmly to hers, and they gazed at each other for a long moment.

"I suppose we really should get to dinner," Mary finally said. "Come on, let's make ourselves presentable."

Mary pulled her husband to his feet and they repositioned their clothing. She reached up to smooth out his suit and brush back his hair, and he attempted to replace a few stray curls that had come out of the twist in her hair. Matthew kissed Mary on top of the head and offered her his arm.

"Shall we, my wife?"

Mary smiled up at him. "We shall."

"Where on earth have you two been?" Cora asked, frowning at Mary when they entered the dining room. "We had to come in without you. The soup is cold."

"Sorry, Mama," Mary said mildly, touching a hand to her hair as if she hadn't a care in the world. "Anna had got my dresses down from London and I'm afraid we took a bit too much time trying them on. Anna did have to get used to the new style. Oh, yes, please, Alfred," she said, reaching up to serve herself from the proffered platter.

"I should say she did," said Edith with a small laugh. "The front of your dress is all rumpled!" Her eyes flicked to Matthew and back.

Mary cocked her head at her sister. "They had only just come off the train, and I'm afraid Anna didn't have time to press them," she said cooly. Edith raised a skeptical eyebrow, and Cora hastened to change the subject. Mary bit back the retort that had risen to her tongue; she wanted to add that her tiara was new too, and how did Mama like it, for only married women were allowed to wear tiaras. But it was too mean, at least for tonight. Mary knew what disappointed love felt like, and this was one time she would spare her sister.

Mary studiously avoided Matthew's eyes as everyone served themselves the first course, but she couldn't help glancing at him when Cora began talking about something mundane to do with the hospital. He was looking her, that tiny smile on his face and his eyes crinkled and sparkling. Mary felt her cheeks heat up as she returned his smile, and she quickly turned to Granny and made a comment about the weather to distract herself.

"Oh, yes, dreadful, isn't it, dear?" Lady Violet replied. "It has never felt less like summer in July. I ask you!"

Mary realized she hadn't listened to a word she'd said. "Hmm," she replied, taking a bite of potato. Granny stared at her.

"Why ask me a question if you aren't going to listen to the answer?" Violet said. "Really, Mary. Where is your head?"

Mary couldn't think of anything to say in reply, and she was glad when Edith said something to Granny. When she looked up again, Mary saw that Matthew's lips were pressed together, and she knew he was stifling laughter. She glared at him and he only grinned back.

Mercifully, dinner did not last long. They went through, and the men did not linger over their drinks and cigars. Mary watched the door with agitation, and she was glad when Matthew and Robert came in.

"Hello, my darling," Matthew said, drawing Mary away from the others. "Lovely dinner, wasn't it?"

"Shut up," Mary said, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"I haven't seen you so discomposed since our honeymoon," he murmured, taking her hand. He played with her wedding ring, his fingertips dancing across her palm.

Mary blushed. "I will get you back for this, you know. Perhaps tonight," she whispered, moving closer to his ear. "I might just put those nightgowns away. I had one picked out, but I could leave it for another night if you don't mind."

Matthew coughed on his drink. "I don't think you need to do anything that drastic, now, darling."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "I think I might. It's a shame, really. It's mostly lace, you know. And silk. I was going to let you take my hair down, too." Mary took a step back and smiled at Matthew, whose face had become steadily redder during her speech and whose grip on his glass was decidedly tighter. "Oh, Papa," Mary said suddenly, waving her father over as he passed by. "I wanted to ask you, how's Diamond getting along? It's been ages since I've seen her." She barely glanced at Matthew, who was giving her a death glare.

"I believe she's all right," Robert said. "You should take her out soon. Matthew, you could accompany Mary riding tomorrow."

"Uh, perhaps," Matthew said, clearing his throat. "I suppose I could." His voice came out strangled.

"Ah," Robert said with a nod. He squinted at his son-in-law. "Are you quite all right, Matthew? You look rather feverish."

"Oh, he's fine," Mary said with a smile.

"Actually, I am feeling a bit off," Matthew interrupted. "Do you mind if we retire early, _darling_?"_  
_

"Yes, do," Robert said. "Look after him, Mary. I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning, Matthew." He clapped Matthew on the shoulder and accompanied the couple to the door, giving Mary no choice but to lead Matthew upstairs.

Matthew grinned at his wife as she flounced up the stairs ahead of him, making a show of being annoyed. When she reached the top, she turned to wait for him, her hands on her hips in an impatient stance.

"Don't think you're winning, Matthew Crawley," she told him when he reached her, lacing her arms around his neck. "I have the trump card, you know."

Matthew laughed low in his throat. "All right, darling." He kissed her, a tiny, teasing kiss, and pushed her into their room.


End file.
